WASHINGTON - The American Forest & Paper Association has released its December 2015 Printing-Writing Paper Report.

According to the report released on Jan. 27, total printing-writing paper shipments decreased 6 percent in December compared to December 2014. Total printing-writing paper inventory levels increased 1 percent from November levels.

Uncoated free sheet (UFS) paper shipments increased 1 percent relative to shipments in December2014, the fourth year-over-year increase during 2015. For the year, UFS shipments were down 1 percent.Imports of UFS decreased 15 percent year-over-year in November and were down 10 percent YTD compared to 2014.

Uncoated mechanical (UM) paper shipments decreased 7 percent when compared with December2014. UM shipments were also down 7 percent for the year, following a 2 percent increase in 2014. Imports of UM papers were down 10 percent in November, the seventeenth consecutive monthly decline.

Coated mechanical (CM) shipments in December decreased 28 percent relative to December 2014 and were down 16 percent for the year. Imports of CM decreased in November by 12 percent compared to the same period last year and were up 10 percent compared to 2014.